Archived News:

Tuesday, Jan 22, 2013

Rockstar Games announces the Deathmatch Made in Heaven DLC is now available for Max Payne 3, adding new multiplayer content to the third-person shooter on almost all platforms in almost all territories. Here's word on the DLC and availability:

We've also added the above original illustration of Max and Passos' Hoboken standoff to our collection of official Max Payne 3 artwork at the Rockstar Downloads page in all the customary sizes and formats.

The Deathmatch Made in Heaven Pack is now available everywhere on Xbox LIVE and PC, as will be out on PSN in North America once Sony updates the PlayStation Store later today (it will also be available to PS3 players in Europe on January 30th).

Capcom Unity reveals plans to bring 3DS Resident Evil Revelations to other platforms, including a Windows version via digital distribution on May 21st. The post includes some new screenshots, and the following details:

I think we're all in agreement that RE Revelations was pretty darn good, right? A little slice of horror, a bit of action, a claustrophobic cruise ship filled with nasty baddies intent on sucking your guts outta your face - y'know, typical Resident Evil stuff. But last year only 3DS owners could play the game and its co-op Raid Mode, so while it was well received, many of you had to sit and watch. But no more!

Revs will arrive this May (21 US, 24 EU) on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii U as physical disc for $49.99, or as a digital version on PS3 and PC on launch day (with 360 and Wii U digital versions to follow). As you might expect, this new version will include online Raid Mode co-op, enhanced HD graphics and lighting - but it also contains a few new bells and whistles.

The Defrost Games Website has word that the PC is now the primary target platform for Project Temporality, a third-person action/puzzle game that began development for the Xbox 360 a couple of years ago. The release on PCs is expected around the end of this quarter or the beginning of next, and the game is now the subject of a Steam Greenlight campaign. There are more details on Indie DB, and this trailer shows off the new look of the PC edition. Here's word on what the game is actually about:

Project Temporality is a third person Action/puzzle game developed around the concept of single player cooperation. By manipulating time you create multiple versions of yourself, called time clones, that are working together to solve the puzzles.

Project Temporality is set in a dystopian future where mankind has used theories by Martyn J. Fogg to ignite Jupiter and create new habitable planets out of its moons. You are #87, an involuntary test subject at a mobile research base residing at the outskirts of Jupiter’s territory.

As you progress through the game you will be learning more about your backstory and your abilities. But most of all, you learn to think about time in a nonlinear way, which is necessary to solve the later puzzles.

Project Temporality is really all about trying to change the ways the player thinks about time. Instead of considering it a single arrow going forward as in physics, we are treating it more like a branching tree that can double back on itself and sprout new branches at your command.

Ubisoft announces that Shootmania Storm will not be released tomorrow as planned, saying Nadeo's multiplayer first-person shooter is instead now expected on April 10th. They also offer a pair of new screenshots while announcing open beta testing of the game will commence on February 12th. Here's word:

Today, Ubisoft® and Nadeo announced that ShootMania Storm, the online multiplayer first-person shooter, will be released on April 10. Starting February 12, the game will enter an Open Beta phase allowing the developers to receive more feedback from the community ensuring a higher level of polish before the release in April.

Developed by Ubisoft’s Nadeo studio, ShootMania Storm follows the footsteps of TrackMania, Nadeo’s successful arcade racing game, to present a new dimension in first-person shooter. As part of the ManiaPlanet system, ShootMania Storm puts players at the center of their gaming experience. To date, players have created more than 15 game modes and, already, more than 20,000 maps have been created by players using ManiaPlanet’s proprietary map editor.

“Nadeo’s model of development has always been to be very close to the community,” said Anne Bondel-Jouin, Managing Director of Nadeo Live. “Following the release of the Beta 2 in December, we received a tremendous amount of information from the very active ShootMania community. For a living, online multiplayer title like this the work is never done, but these extra few weeks will allow us to polish the game further and release it to the level of quality we think our players deserve.”

ShootMania Storm is already very active on the e-sports scene, recently participating in the IPL 5 tournament in Las Vegas, Nevada and MLG in Dallas Texas. In March, ShootMania Storm will be included at PAX East and will return to Las Vegas with IPL 6. More details on future ShootMania Storm events will be available in the coming months.

Call of Duty: Black Ops II Website now offers a new comedic live-action trailer starring Peter Stormare as The Replacer (his most memorable role since Karl Hungus) promoting the upcoming release of the Revolution DLC for the military shooter sequel. Word is: "One of the most robust and diverse DLC offerings in Call of Duty history, Revolution includes four all-new Multiplayer maps, a new Zombies Co-Op map, a brand new Zombies game mode and a bonus Multiplayer weapon."

AGEOD announcesThe Birth of Rome, a standalone expansion for their Roman empire turn-based strategy game Alea Jacta Est. Since Rome wasn't built in a day, this is due one week from today on January 29th from Matrix Games. Here's word on the game, which does not require Alea Jacta Est to play: "Birth of Rome offers a level of historical accuracy and detail never reached before in a video game. Birth of Rome is a true simulation where players are challenged to create armies and fleets, organize and maneuver them, sustain and reinforce them. All the time taking into account military, economic, political and diplomatic parameters."

An interview on Eurogamer talks with Gas Powered Games boss Chris Taylor about Wildman, layoffs at GPG, and what the future holds, further clarifying what lead the company to the precipice. He describes the kind of financing the game will ultimately require and why the Kickstarter is for less than that, how they have brought back some key people, and more. He also has some choice words for game publishers, saying one of the company's burdens has been 11th hour game cancellations by publishers, saying one of these came a month ahead of beta testing.

This legal objection (Adobe Acrobat format) filed in Delaware poses South Park Digital Studios' objections to THQ's plans to sell South Park: The Stick of Truthtoday along with the other assets as part of THQ's bankruptcy. The company says the license THQ was granted for the game is non-transferrable, and that it is still owed $2.2+ million. This reply (Adobe Acrobat format) filed by THQ (spotted, like the first brief, by NeoGAF) asks the court to overrule this motion. Thanks nin via Joystiq.

The Elder Scrolls Online Website is now accepting applications to beta test Bethesda's upcoming MMO installment in their RPG series. This announcement has details along with this cinematic trailer, saying: "Please be aware that this is just beta sign-ups. Once our first beta test begins, we’ll make sure everyone knows—watch our official website, Facebook, Google+, and Twitter for an announcement about the first round of invites." Here's the official announcement:

Bethesda Softworks® and ZeniMax® Online Studios today announced that beta signups are now open for The Elder Scrolls® Online at ElderScrollsOnline.com. Interested gamers simply have to go to the website and register for a chance to play. Selected beta registrants will be granted early access to beta test the game. They will be among the first to experience this epic world with others in one of 2013’s most highly-anticipated releases. Timing and details of the start of playtests will be provided at a later date to those who register.

“We’re really excited to get the game into players’ hands,” said Matt Firor, game director of The Elder Scrolls Online. “We receive invaluable feedback through the beta process, and that helps us ensure that the game will be one of the best online gaming experiences ever offered -- one worthy of The Elder Scrolls franchise.”

The Elder Scrolls Online brings the award-winning Elder Scrolls experience online for the first time. Using ZeniMax Online’s Megaserver technology, players will join one connected world with a built in social network that lets them stay up-to-date with everything their friends are doing. Megaserver technology avoids the hassle of shard selection and makes The Elder Scrolls Online one of the most socially enabled games ever created. Whether playing alone, or with hundreds of friends, players can develop their own style of play as they embark upon an epic quest across Tamriel.

Red 5 Studios announces this Friday will be the first of three planned public beta weekends for Firefall, offering a 48 hour opportunity to play the upcoming MMOFPS. This will be open to all users, no key required. "After successfully completing a few controlled stress-tests late last year, we’re excited to move into the next phase," said James Macauley, Vice President of Development, Red 5 Studios. "This will be the first time that we’ve opened up Firefall’s servers to everyone. We’re really looking forward to gathering a bunch of new feedback and data that will help us build up to launch this year." This new trailer offers a look at gameplay, this page has all the details on the beta, and here's an itinerary for the beta weekend:

Skillshot Contest (Video) – Record and submit an epic skillshot video for a chance to win a prize pack filled with Firefall SWAG and Razer™ gear

Skillshot Contest (Screen) – Screencap a stylish skillshot for a chance at being featured on the official Firefall Facebook page

Community Unlock – Play during the weekend to unlock an exclusive, customized Battleframe decal

Livestream – Join a special episode of Firefall Live on TwitchTV to see Athene and Reese owning the competition with their own skillshots

A new update to the Kickstarter campaign for Wildman has another video from Gas Powered Games honcho Chris Taylor offering the latest on attempts to fund the action/RPG which will ostensibly save the company from the financial abyss that's already resulted in some layoffs. Chris speaks of being encouraged by the progress towards their funding goal and discusses their efforts at getting the word out with more updates later this week, including details on "Project Mercury" (not to be confused with the identical codename for Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning), which he says "is the platform we hope to deliver the modules on," suggesting a further explanation would be useful. On a related note, we got a note from a reader saying a friend at Gas Powered Games was asked to stay on for another month when he went to clean out his desk yesterday. This unconfirmed report also says there are other employees who are voluntarily working on this project to see how things shake out.

A new video interview on games.on.net talks with producer Shereif Fattouh about Dead Space 3, Visceral Games' upcoming survival shooter sequel. The focus of their conversation is the addition of co-op mode to the sequel, which they describe as being like watching a scary movie with a friend. They also highlight the response they got when asking if the Windows edition of the game will have any features that take advantage of a PC's more powerful hardware. They were told this will be a straight port with no support for DirectX 11, no higher resolution textures, and no support for graphics features not found on the console editions. In other Dead Space 3 news, OXM has word from developer Visceral that the game will include microtransactions, though they stress that letting the game chip away at your wallet is optional. Here's a bit:

"You can absolutely choose to ignore the in game micro-transactions," associate producer Yara Khoury told OXM in an interview, following a two-hour hands-on. "I think it's made for people who aren't necessarily as savvy as others with exploration, or maybe they just don't want to spend the time to go and find resources, and they want to maybe upgrade faster."

You'll only be able to buy certain weapons at certain times, however. "Know that we are creating progression in terms of weapon crafting by only making available some weapon parts as you progress through the game. So it's not like 'oh I'm going to spend money now and I can be the most powerful player in Chapter 1.' "And another thing that is important to know is that you can buy things in the marketplace with in-game currency," Khoury continued. "Things that your scavenger bot gets you. So you don't have to spend dollars if you're a hardcore player and put a lot of hours in - you're going to be rewarded for that."

This statement (Adobe Acrobat format) follows word that the U.S. arm of Atari has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection with news that the company's French parent Atari S.A. is likewise seeking a court-governed reorganization with a "book 6" filing in France. "In light of the current situation with BlueBay, we have decided to take what we think is the best decision to protect the Company and its shareholders, says Jim Wilson, CEO of Atari. "Through these ongoing procedures, and especially the auction process in the US, we will seek to maximize the proceeds in the best interest of the Company and all of its shareholders." Thanks NowGamer.

The StarCraft II Website now offers the opening cinematic for StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm, showing off the expansion that's due for the RTS sequel in March. This sets the story for the add-on, which is summed up like so: "Whether you ultimately choose to play as Protoss, Terran, or Zerg, you simply must ask yourself one question: Who is Sarah Kerrigan?" Continue here to read the full story.

EVGA announces they are bundling a free copy of Primal Carnage (a $15.00 value) with the purchase of one of their GeForce GTX 670, 680, or 690 graphics cards ($379.00 and up). This offer is good globally for purchases as of yesterday, and inclusion of free copies of the multiplayer dinosaur action game will continue as long "as supplies last."

A new Kickstarter looks to raise a modest £10,000 to create The 90's Arcade Racer, a throwback to the days where men were men, even if they still occasionally wore shoulder pads. The game is intended for Windows, OS X, and Linux with possible OUYA support. Here's word on the project's inspiration: "The three that ate up most of my coins where Scud Race, Daytona USA and Indy 500, my goal is to recreate the feeling these games evoked from players by maintaining the colorful, vibrant look and sense of speed but with modern visuals and car handling models." The developer has no apparent track record, but has "worked on several big and small projects both as a 2D and 3D artist," and this fundraiser has attracted the attention of sites like Kotaku and Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Thanks nin.

Kalypso Media UK announces Airline Tycoon 2 GOLD, a new bundle of this management game expected for release on February 22nd. Here's a trailer for the new edition, and here's word on the alchemy that turned the game into gold:

Airline Tycoon 2 – Gold Edition brings an extensive list of new features to Airline Tycoon 2 - use cargo flights as a new source of income, or see if you can profit from last-minute flight bookings. Open branch offices around the world to increase your control of each territory. Airline Tycoon 2 is the long awaited sequel to the legendary tongue-in-cheek economic simulation that puts players in the role of CEO of an international airline! Airline Tycoon 2 challenges players to run a modern airline, design unique airplanes and grow a run-down carrier into a globally recognised company that passengers practically beg to fly. In the Gold Edition, you will meet some old friends. Italian bon vivant Mario Zucchero and German nit-picker Siggi Sorglos join the cast of this unique game. Airports worldwide are waiting to be explored, but beware– your rivals never rest!

I suffered another football loss following this weekend's playoffs. I picked today in the pool for when I would get sick of hearing about the "Har-Bowl," but that storyline ran its course for me early yesterday. I'll still choose that over hearing any more about Ray Lewis, since, like Wes Welker's wife, I've been sick of that since about January 31, 2000.